Hot Topics:

Cold Springs Fire reaches 25 percent containment

3 more homes, 4 outbuildings found to be destroyed

By Mitchell Byars and John Bear

Staff Writers

Posted:
07/12/2016 06:44:51 AM MDT

Updated:
07/12/2016 09:50:41 PM MDT

Working with more cooperative weather on Tuesday, firefighters made progress on the 528-acre Cold Springs Fire, bringing the outer perimeter to 25 percent containment, and officials don't expect it to spread any farther.

However, three more homes and four outbuildings have been destroyed in the fire, a land survey found Tuesday afternoon.

The fire has claimed homes at 47 Bonanza Drive, 319 Sherwood Drive and 1513 Ridge Road, where three outbuildings were also destroyed. The fire destroyed another outbuilding at 141 Sherwood Drive.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said the homes included two small cabins that appeared to be unoccupied and what appears to be a summer home. The owners of the home had not been contacted as of 5 p.m.

The Incident Management Team again escorted a damage assessment team to survey damage identified by ground crews, according to a news release.

Cold Springs Fire: By the numbers

1,991 people evacuated

528 acres burned

486 personnel on ground

8 homes destroyed

7 aircraft fighting fire

7 outbuildings destroyed

2 people arrested

Source: Boulder Office of Emergency Management

Cold Springs Fire: By the numbers

The Cold Springs Fire has destroyed eight homes in Boulder County, located at the following addresses:

1513 Ridge Road

2315 Ridge Road

2454 Ridge Road

47 Bonanza Drive

171 Bonanza Drive

37 N. Sky View Drive

319 Sherwood Road

325 Sherwood Road

Source: Boulder Office of Emergency Management

Incident commander Shane Greer said that within the fire, there are areas of unburned land that fire crews are attempting to keep safe as they also clear 300-foot wide areas around the nearly 40 homes still inside the fire zone as of Tuesday afternoon.

"We don't expect it to spread today," Greer said, adding that the number of firefighters that were expected to remain on scene into Tuesday evening would be cut to about 100, or half of its size earlier in the day.

The Colorado Air Guard was using helicopters on Monday and Tuesday to drop 160,000 gallons of water on the fire, and officials said that the close proximity of Barker Reservoir has aided in the effort.

Nederland firefighter Bretlyn Schmidtmann is overcome with emotion as she tries to find remnants such as a collar or tag of her St. Bernard Geno where she thought he might have been in the remains of her house Tuesday in Nederland. (Helen H. Richardson / The Denver Post)

"Having the reservoir this close has been fantastic," Greer said. "I believe we are getting a handle on it."

Pelle said residents who live in areas still under an evacuation order will be allowed in for a few hours on Wednesday to gather their belongings, adding that he understands it is frustrating to still be evacuated when the fire has ceased emitting a large, visible plume.

"We hope to have everyone back at home within the next week," Pelle said, adding that affected residents have been notified.

Pelle said that there are multiple hazards in the fire zone, including damaged "snags" — damaged trees that can fall down and residual heat from the blaze. . He said that the fire also damaged power poles, which will be replaced by air in the coming days.

An evacuation order was lifted on Tuesday for some residents of Sugarloaf and Magnolia, and residents were returning home as of Tuesday afternoon — the first lift of evacuations after the fire started four days ago.

The Boulder Office of Emergency Management informed 67 residents on Tuesday morning that they were allowed to return to their homes on Sugarloaf Road, and Boulder County sheriff's officials said they made calls to 737 numbers registered to residents in the Magnolia Road, allowing them to return home.

The fire displaced about 2,000 people since it started, and no other evacuation orders have yet been lifted.

Pelle said that crews will temporarily suspend fire operations Wednesday morning to allow the evacuees to go to their homes and get items.

Burned cars and the remains of structures are seen at Nederland firefighter and resident Bretlyn Schmidtmann and Charlie Schmidtmann's property off Sherwood Road on Tuesday. (Matthew Jonas / Staff Photographer)

"We're going to try and get all of you guys back to your houses for a couple of hours," Pelle told a group of evacuees at Nederland High School on Tuesday afternoon.

The road closures on the Peak to Peak Highway and Sugarloaf Road were lifted on Monday. Boulder Canyon Drive, which had been closed as aerial crews were conducting water drops over the road, has now been opened to residents.

Gabi Boerkircher, spokeswoman with the Boulder Office of Emergency Management, said the term "containment" refers more to the likelihood the fire will not spread rather than the area it has burned.

"It is still 'contained' in its footprint," Boerkircher said of the fire. "'Containment' means they can very accurately say a certain amount of a fire will not spread."

The two homes that were confirmed to have been destroyed Monday were at 2315 and 2454 Ridge Road, according to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management. The other three that were confirmed to have burned earlier were on Bonanza Drive, North Sky View Drive and Sherwood Drive.

The evacuation center at the East Boulder Recreation Center has been closed. The one at Nederland High School remains open.

Two men from Alabama have been arrested on suspicion of arson after reportedly admitting to police their unattended campfire started the blaze.

Clubs keeping eye on RPI rankingsIn the age of RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) determining playoff seeding in Colorado prep sports, playing a championship schedule has become more important than ever for any team expecting to compete for a state title. Full Story

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story